the start of an era
by Bleuecrest
Summary: He coped by clinging on to hope. [Romeo-centric] *spoilers for chapter 545*


**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail does not belong to me. Enjoy!**

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"Mira-nee, I'll take this job." She turns at the masculine voice, smiling as she glances at him. After being stuck with babysitting the hyperactive twins while their parents were on a mission, she couldn't say that she blamed him.

Romeo grinned, his hand outstretched as he passes Mirajane the mission slip. His heart skips a beat in excitement as he thinks about the job that awaits him, blood pumping and itching for a fight. _Two weeks is way too long_ , he thinks, watching the white-haired beauty stamp the job slip. His gaze slips to the rest of the guild.

The guild was rowdy as usual, with spilled beer on the tables and boisterous laughter, drunken yells and mindless chatter filling the room. He sees the Master standing on the deck on the second floor, resting his chin on a hand looking bored as usual. There is a band of silver wrapped around his ring finger and Romeo snickers as he recalls the previous week of teasing the blonde got.

He would have never thought that Laxus could turn that red.

Sensing eyes on him, Laxus glanced in his direction and narrowed his eyes at the not-too-subtle snickering. The teenage boy grins back, giving him a salute before quickly turning away because even he knew not to push Laxus too much. He valued his life, thank you very much.

Six years have passed since the Alvarez incident, and Magnolia had been slowly restoring itself. At the beginning, the future had seemed bleak. The war with the Alvarez Empire had all but destroyed the town, with other states in Fiore facing the same plight. The residents of the town had lost too much to hope for recovery. In that dark haze of gloom that had washed over the town, Laxus had been the one who stepped up and gave the people hope.

The mages in Fairy Tail had split into teams to restore houses in each district, which _of course,_ turned into a competition to see who could get the most done. Days had turned into weeks which became months, and as time passed by the city had started to liven up. Fairy Tail became the pillar of the town.

Right after the war, the previous Master was out of commission. The war with Alverez had taken its toll on their aged guildmaster, his legs giving up on him right when the final fight ended. Critically injured and on the verge of death, Porlyusica had all but dragged him into her cottage which had miraculously escaped the wrath of war. It took a full month for his recovery, but he paid his price- he could no longer use magic. Laxus was the one who delivered the news. In a time where the city was still struggling to recover, the news did little to raise their spirits. As the silence stretched on for days, Laxus was the one who broke the gloom- they should be grateful he's alive.

It took another three months for Makarov to announce Laxus as the next guild master.

After that, it seemed like there were one surprise after another. Levy and Gajeel had announced that they were expecting a child, which had been shocking to say the least. Jet and Droy had been aghast, and then outraged at the iron dragonslayer who had _taken advantage of their innocent Levy-chan_. Gajeel had just grinned smugly, arms folded around Levy who was blushing so much that he would have pitied her, if only his own face wasn't heated up as well. Months later, the twin dragonslayers were welcomed into the guild.

A month later, Evergreen and Elfman had announced their marriage which truthfully, wasn't that much of a surprise to most of them. Their wedding had been held at the newly constructed Kardia Cathedral, open to all the residents of Magnolia who had celebrated along with them. Mirajane's eyes had shone with tears, with Lisanna beside her smiling so widely it warmed his heart. Laxus had been seated beside her, and Romeo vaguely remembers the gentle look in his eyes with his fingers wrapped around hers.

Looking back, he realizes that they have indeed come a long way all these years. The Grand Magic Games had resumed three years back, with Fairy Tail being the champions once again before getting overthrown by Sabertooth, and then Mermaid Heel.

Needless to say, Laxus had not been happy.

Romeo sighed, tossing his backpack over his shoulder as he strode to the front doors. "I'm leaving!" He yelled.

"Have a safe trip, Romeo!" Mirajane sang, with shouts of encouragement from the other members. He thinks he hears his father's drunken cry and he snorts as he yanks the heavy door open.

A strong surge of magic hit so suddenly that he was stunned. Behind him, the guild falls into a complete silence and his stomach clenches as the fear grips his heart. He had felt this during the war against the empire, and knows from experience that they are outmatched because a magic _that_ strong can't be friendly.

He doesn't realize that he had lowered his head until strong hands push him aside roughly, and he looks up to see Laxus's broad back, his face hard. In the guild, he hears Lena whimper and Levy's soft voice soothing her.

"It's not an enemy," Gajeel tells them, his face masked with seriousness. "Their magic feels familiar."

"How many of them?" Laxus asks.

"Five." Gajeel answers, his eyes squinting in concentration. Suddenly, he freezes in his movement and Laxus shoots him a sharp glance.

And Gajeel laughs. Bursting into a great guffaw, his shoulders lose all of its tension and the remaining guild members stare at him, wondering if the iron mage just lost his mind. Beside him, an equally bewildered Romeo frowns at him.

From his periphery, Laxus suddenly relaxes and Romeo watches as his eyes glowed with pride.

"Well, look who's back."

Subconsciously, Romeo goes back to what felt like a long, _long_ time ago when he spent countless nights praying and wishing that things will be alright again. Seven painful years of falling from grace and getting treated like they were dirt undeserving of existing. The heaps of debt that they have accumulated and the despair that followed him like a plague. Members leaving one by one, destroying the thin thread of ties binding the guild together, and his father's choked cries in the middle of the night for being so weak, the burden of being the newly appointed guild master for their crumbling guild too heavy to bear.

He remembers growing up with weight on his shoulders that threatened to crush his spirit and soul, clutching on to memories of the past which kept him sane. Times when his revered role model would swing him onto his broad shoulders with fanged grins and whooping shouts of encouragement. Above all, he remembers the hope that swelled within him when the guild doors broke into splinters, an all too familiar roar resounding that could only belong to one dragonslayer.

Romeo sucks in his breath. In the distance, he sees a flash of pink and his heart soars.

"Natsu and the rest are back!" Jet yells, and the guild explodes with excited shouts, every member scrambling to the front door to catch a glimpse of their living legends. Even at a distance, they see the smiles on Team Natsu's faces as they break into a run, the pink haired mage at the forefront.

"We're back!" They hear Natsu from meters away, and Romeo can only watch in silent awe at the only team that managed to come back alive from a hundred-year quest because _of course_ Natsu would achieve the impossible. The guild responds wildly, arms thumping on backs and high-pitched squeals, sobs and shouts floating over him and he can't hear anything. I _s he dreaming_?

He remembers the past six years of waking up in cold sweat with the empty feeling in his chest that feels strangely like loss, and the loneliness chilling his heart despite it being a period of peace. The strangled cry that never left his lips of _please, please don't leave again_. He remembers seeing the backs of his family as they left for the hardest mission known to mages, his heart sinking with the realization that he might never see them again.

Suddenly, Romeo is crushed against an overheated body.

"Man, you've grown kid!"

It is only then that he realizes the tears streaming down his face and for the first time in a long while, he lets himself fall apart.


End file.
